Mikkeller Warrior Single Hop IPA

Fresh hop aroma with just a hint of raisin like malts comes through in a big inhale. As Mikkeller starts his American invasion, this beer is just one of several sitting in my fridge that I can't wait to try. He has named this beer simply for what it is, a Warrior hopped American style IPA. For those of you who are not familiar, Warrior, refers to the type of Hops he used, not the integrity of the ale. However, there is little need to question the integrity of this beer, as it delivers on everything the nose and front end promises. Warrior hops are somewhat similar to nugget and columbus hops having very high alpha rates of around 15 to 17%. Tasting warrior is quite a bit more neutral flavored than hops like Simcoe and Summit, which have equivalent alpha rates. Simcoe and Summit tend to stand out quite a bit more, while Warrior will be smoother, more pleasing to the non-acquainted hop lover.

The nose and front end have a remarkable citrus and pine flavor, a result no doubt of fresh warrior hopping. The citrus is so bright on the front end that it actually tickles your tongue like I remember from drinking berry flavored Crystal Geyser's as a kid. However, instead of artificial preservatives, this carbonation is thinly bolstered with hints of fresh hops.

The back end mixes a malty raisin, honey sweetness with alpha bitterness that hits the back of your tongue; it's a beautifully crafted balance between the two that I've come to expect from Señor Mikkeller. But that being said, as you delve deeper into the beer, the malty side does seem to take over, which for us west coast purists, is verbotten. Otherwise, nicely done.

Warrior Single Hop IPA: ***1/2

The Resistance double IPA

Having gotten a handle on my beer making skills after my last IPA, I wanted to try to make something really big. So began my Double Trouble IPA, The Resistance. I wanted to make a beer that had high alcohol content, but still really bright floral and citrusy hoppy notes. In order to achieve this I tried my first dry hop. For those unfamiliar with the process, dry hopping involves adding hops to the beer after the initial fermentation. It helps to get that fresh hop taste I was looking for.

.5 lb English Crystal 37L

.5 lb English Crystal 17L

6 lbs Pale malt extract

3 lbs Munich malt extract

1 lb Light DME

I did a 1 oz Summit addition at 60 min

1 oz Summit addition at 30

1 oz Summit addition at 20

1 oz Amarillo addition at 0

I let my primary fermentation go about a week, then my second fermentation was around 3 weeks before I started dry hopping. I used 1 oz Simcoe whole hops to dry hop. Whole hops I now know are really hard to dry hop with because both putting them in the carboy and filtering out the pieces is a problem. But live and learn. I let the beer dry hop for about 4 weeks and then finally aged in the bottle for another three weeks.

All and all, I achieved what I was going for in term of hop taste. The beer is very bright and you can really taste the dry hopping. However, I didn't get the vigorous ferment I was hoping for and alcohol content is only around 5-6%. I also feel like it could use a little more malt sweetness to round out and balance the flavor a bit.